


Guardian of Courage

by Kyuubiluver342



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Kozmotis Pitchiner Returns, Pitch Black Returns (Guardians of Childhood), Pitch becomes a Guardian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 03:08:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21111680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: Jack has a fight with the other guardians and ends up infected by black sand. Hoping Pitch can help, he goes to find him, but Pitch is gone and all that's left is Kozmotis.





	Guardian of Courage

“Cottontail, I’d say you’ve finally lost it, but I think you lost it a few years ago, painting eggs.” Jack Frost said as he tilted his head to the side.

E. Aster Bunnymund huffed and glared at the younger spirit. His newest egg warrior stood tall and proud, months of work having finally come together.

“Stick a sock in it, Ankle-bitter.” Bunnymund replied.

“Why do you need a new one anyway?” Jack asked as he floated up to it. 

He circled it a few times, taking in all the details. Admittedly, he was amazed. Each line glowed with power and he wondered if Bunnymund knew how amazing they looked.

“It’s always good to keep my skills up. You never know.” Bunnymund stated proudly.

He hadn’t made a new warrior in a few years, so his skills were a bit rusty. Jack landed on top of it and sat there, humming.

“I mean, it’s cool and all, but I still say nothing beats the yetis.” Jack said.

Bunnymund scowled. Jack always had to go there.

“My warriors could beat the snot out of the overgrown furballs!” Bunnymund yelled, shaking his fist.

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black, Furball!” Jack laughed.

Bunnymund flushed under his fur as Jack jumped off and landed next to him.

“You’re just mad because you could possibly make something so detailed!” Bunnymund stated.

“Hey! I make each snowflake by hand, you know!” Jack snapped.

Bunnymund waved him off.

“Snowflakes? Really, Frostbite? No one can even see them!” Bunnymund scuffed.

Jack’s spine straightened.

“Hey, just because they can’t see them doesn’t mean I don’t work hard to make sure each one is special!” Jack yelled.

Bunnymund crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

“What good is that? If no one sees them, who cares?” Bunnymund stated.

Jack went quiet and that was the moment when Bunnymund realized he might have just shoved his whole, oversized foot into his mouth. He slowly looked at Jack, saw the blankness of his face and winced.

“Jack... hey I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.” Bunnymund said.

He reached out towards him, but Jack pulled away.

“Whatever.” Jack muttered.

Wincing, Bunnymund opened his mouth, but before he could, Jack shot up into the air.

“Jack.” Bunnymund called.

“It’s fine, Rabbit. I promised I would meet with Jamie tonight. I’ll see you later.” Jack said quickly.

He was gone before Bunnymund could say another word and he cursed. He rubbed his face and sighed. 

“Nice going, stupid.” Bunnymund muttered.

He just hoped Jack didn’t take his words to heart.

Jack flew back to Burgess, his jaw clenched so hard, he was worried he might ruin the teeth Tooth loved so much. Bunnymund always seemed to say the exact words to get under Jack’s skin.

“If no one can see them, who cares!” Jack mocked venomously.

He landed in a tree, trying to stop his shaking. His rage boiled under the surface, his hatred was just as vile. What did Bunnymund know about being invisible? What did he know about being unseen? The three days he had spent unseen was nothing compared to the hundreds of years Jack had spent alone and unwanted. He knew nothing about what it meant to be truly invisible.

Jack let out a harsh breath, eyeing the darkening storm clouds above. If he got too upset, he had no doubt a blizzard would form. Taking a moment to calm his nerves, he allowed his anger to settle before he continued on. Jamie was waiting for him, after all.

He landed in Jamie’s front yard, waiting for Jamie to notice him from his window. Jamie, now almost 18, was growing up to be a tall, handsome boy. Jack was pleased to have watched him grow so much since the failed Easter all those years ago. Jamie finally glanced outside and smiled as Jack waved. He nodded and disappeared from view, making Jack excited.

The door opened and Jamie came rushing out, still putting on his jacket. Jack laughed as he slipped a bit.

“Whoa there, sport! Take it easy. It’s Sunday. We have all day, you know.” Jack said taking one step forward.

Jamie said nothing, in fact, he didn’t even slow down. Expecting a hug of some kind, Jack held out his arms. Only for Jamie to go right through him, like he wasn’t even there.

“Come on, Jamie!” someone behind Jack called.

Jack turned to see a car full of kids behind him. He recognized a few such as Cupcake and the twins as Jamie piled in. Most of them he didn’t know the names of, but did recognize from the pictures in Jamie’s room. These were his friends, his human friends.

“Jamie?” Jack called.

Jamie didn’t even turn to look. He watched as Jamie took off, laughing as the car drove away.

“Jamie?” Jack called softly, one hand reaching out.

Jamie never turned around. Jack’s body began to shake, his throat tight with emotion. Jamie… couldn’t see him anymore? He knew Cupcake and the others had stopped seeing him months ago, but Jamie? Jamie, who had kept his belief through Pitch’s attack? Jamie, who had promised never to forget him? Jamie had…

Jack choked. He stumbled back and fell into the snow, his eyes watering. His only friend. His only follower left was gone. He waited, waited to see if this was some cruel joke, but Jamie and the car never came back. After about an hour, Jack shot into the air and disappeared into the dark blue sky.

He landed in the icy plains of Antarctica. The howling winds and bitter cold seemed to match his mood. His screams were drowned out by the storm raging all around him. He tugged at his hair, tore at his skin, threw his power around as if it didn’t matter, allowing the sharp ice to form. The agony in his chest was enough to make him crazy.

“Jamie! Jamie!” his screams were lost to the wind.

When his voice finally gave way and he could scream no more, he stood there, staring blankly at the ice at his feet.

_ “Guardian of Fun. Guardian of fucking Fun. What fucking use is that?” _ Jack thought as he started to shake.

Jamie’s face, always excited, always cheerful, flashed in his mind’s eye and he wanted to scream again. It shattered like a glass window and Jack stood there. The wind stopped. The storm calmed. It was so quiet, it was eerie. He looked at the staff in his hand and his eyes narrowed.

Bunnymund sighed as he sunk into his chair at North’s place. He looked over as Tooth drifted in, a gaggle of fairies following her. Sandy was already sitting on his dream cloud, idly munching on a cookie, making some dreams with his other hand.

“AH! What a glorious night!” North boomed.

Bunnymund rolled his eyes as he grabbed some eggnog. Why North has insisted on this little get together, he had no idea. Not that he cared. It was far enough away from Easter that he could slack a little. He eyed the small window seat, wondering when Jack would get here. He hadn’t really seen the snow sprite for a while now, but he had heard that Jack was busy. It was snowing across the globe, it seemed he was taking winter very seriously this year, despite that fact that is was barely Fall.

“Where’s Jack?” Tooth asked as she claimed her seat.

“Good question, lass.” Bunnymund muttered.

Sandy made a small snowflake with a watch next to it. It’s hands were spinning.

“Yeah, I guess he lost track of time.” Bunnymund stated.

They chatted a bit, taking the time to see how each other was doing when Jack drifted in. The fact that he hadn’t announced his prescene made Bunnymund pause. The fact that he was so eerily quiet made Bunnymund frown.

“About time, mate. Get lost or something?” Bunnymund asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Jack just shrugged as he slumped into his pillow seat by the window. His hood was up, covering his face. Tooth let out a little cough.

“Sweet Tooth, no hoods indoors.” she corrected gently.

Jack grumbled something that, even with his advanced hearing, Bunnymund missed. He pulled his hood down and Bunnymund frowned.

“You feeling alright, Frostbite?” Bunnymund asked.

The dark circles under Jack’s eyes stood out against his pale skin, but Jack just shrugged.

“Just being working a lot.” Jack replied.

“Huh? Since when do you do any work?” Bunnymund said, chuckling.

Jack eyed him boredly.

“Winter is just as important as Spring, Rabbit. Without it, your flowers sure as hell wouldn’t bloom.” Jack replied coldly.

Bunnymund blinked, startled by the coldness in his tone.

“Jack, are you sure you’re alright? You seem, ah what is the word I am looking for?” North asked Tooth.

“Snippy.” Bunnymund replied.

“Maybe I am just sick of my season being treated like it doesn’t matter.” Jack snapped.

“Now wait just a minute here, Jack. I never said your season didn’t matter.” Bunnymund replied hotly.

“Oh really? Then all the times you said the season should skip from the Fall right to Spring didn’t mean anything?” Jack stated.

“I just said that people preferred if Winter was skipped. That’s not my fault.” Bunnymund said, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, well people should remember that Winter isn’t just something you can forget about.” Jack’s voice was icy.

The wind howled outside, as if Jack’s anger was her anger. The lights flickered a bit and North seemed worried.

“Come now, friends. Winter is a very important season.” North stated.

“Oh stop, North. You only care because Christmas is in Winter. If Christmas was in the Spring, you would agree with me too.” Bunnymund stated angrily.

Jack’s icy eyes turned to North, who held up his hands.

“I did not say that.” North said quickly.

“Shut. Up!” Jack snarled.

Ice began to creep up the window and across the bench seat Jack sat on. The wind outside seemed to roar, making Bunnymund’s ears go flat.

“Jack, what is wrong?” Tooth asked getting up.

“Don’t act like you care!” he hissed, his eyes glowing.

She flinched back, and Bunnymund got to his feet.

“What is wrong with you, you gumby! You can be mad at me all you want, but Tooth never did anything to you!” Bunnymund demanded.

“Do you know how many times she has complained that the cold makes it harder for her fairies to do their jobs? ‘Jack, don’t cause a blizzard here’, ‘Jack, don’t let it snow there’, ‘Jack, my poor fairies are frozen, why can’t it be warmer?’ Over and over and over again! Just nothing, but complaints!” Jack got to his feet, the floorboards icing over.

“Jack, Bunny, please, we can talk this out. Just calm down.” North’s eyes darted to Sandy, who readied a small ball of dream sand.

He threw it and Jack scowled. A wave of his hand and the ball froze solid, hitting the floor with a solid thud. Sandy looked shocked.

“Calm down? I’ve been calm. For years, I was calm. I was calm when I woke up out of the ice, no memories, nothing, but a name and a stick. I was calm the first time someone walked right through me. I was calm when I realized no one could hear me screaming. How much longer do you want me to be calm, North?” Jack demanded.

“Sweet Tooth, honey, please tell us what is wrong?” Tooth asked.

He looked at her and the wind stopped. It was so quiet, the fur on Bunnymund’s body stood on end. Jack let out a broken laugh.

“Jamie… can’t see me anymore.” Jack whispered, rubbing his face with his hand.

Bunnymund felt the blood drain from his face. He knew that look. That was the look of someone who had given up. Someone who had the last piece of happiness ripped from them. He had seen that face in the mirror too many times not to know what it was.

“Sweet Tooth.” Tooth whispered.

Jack shook his head.

“He doesn’t see me, doesn’t hear me. He… walked right through me. Like I wasn’t even there.” Jack continued.

Bunnymund saw the storm building outside the window. This was it. This was Jack’s breaking point. He had reached the point of no return. Bunnymund took a step closer.

“Jack, listen to me, I know it’s hard, but you have to calm down.” Bunnymund said gently.

He held his hands up, showing he meant no harm. Jack watched him and gave a half chuckle.

“But, Bunny, I am calm. Don’t you see? Calm is the only thing I can be. Because if I wasn’t calm, this entire building would be frozen solid right now.” Jack said darkly.

Bunnymund’s eyes darted to his staff and he wondered, ironically, if he was fast enough to grab it away from the ice sprite. Jack seemed to know what he was thinking because he let out a breath and drifted back.

“I have to go. Snow is needed in Greenland.” Jack muttered.

He threw his hood back up, pushed open the window and was gone. The rest of the Guardians stood there, jaws slack with concern and worry.

“Can someone please explain to me what that was?” North asked.

Bunnymund jumped out of the portal and immediately whined.

“Why is it always the rabbit that has to go looking?” Bunnymund muttered angrily.

It had been weeks since the failed get together at North’s place. The holidays were slowly creeping upon them, but the biggest concern right now was not Christmas or Easter for once. It was Jack. No one had seen hide nor hair of the spirit and the concern was thick. Bunnymund had heard complaints from various spirits that, this year, Jack was taking his job way too seriously. Apparently, snow storms had blanketed their areas is thick, icy snow, making it hard for other spirits and even humans to do their jobs and live their lives.

“Frostbite.” he muttered.

The look on Jack’s face, the emptiness in his eyes, flashed in Bunnymund’s brain and he winced. He had tried looking for Jack, tried talking to him, but the boy was acting colder than the season he cared for. Jack wouldn’t speak to any of them, flying off as soon as they tried to get close. Even North had returned a failure, unable to get Jack to even speak to him.

He raced along the snow, thankful North had some specially made clothing for him to use. They had heating charms on them to keep him from absolutely freezing to death. He was, after all, a Spring spirit. 

“Where are you, Ice Boy?” Bunnymund muttered.

As if answering his call, he saw Jack shoot by overhead and landed nearby.

“Damnit! Hey, Show Pony!” he yelled, but the wind drowned him out. 

Jack walked behind a huge glacier and Bunnymund scowled. He ran along before turning the corner.

“Frostbite!” he called, only to stop.

His eyes landed on the huge statue before him and he let out a breath. What the hell was he even looking at? Jack stood before it, staring at the twisted icy statue of black sand and spoke.

“Pitch followed me here. After the failed Easter. Told me there was no reason for us to fight. That what went better together than cold… and dark?” Jack placed a hand on the statue, his voice soft.

Bunnymund walked forward, staring at the thing and felt a twist of fear in his gut. God, there was so much of it. He could only imagine how hard Jack fought back against Pitch’s evil and all alone too.

“I told him to leave me alone. I didn’t want to be a part of this fight anymore. He got angry… he broke my staff… he hurt Baby Tooth.” Jack’s voice wavered.

“Jack.” Bunnymund muttered.

“What good is being the Guardian of Fun? What use is it? Wonder, hope, dreams, memories, those are all useful. They help people!” Jack’s slammed his fists against the statue.

“But what about me!” Jack whirled around.

The icy tears in his eyes made Bunnymund’s heart ache.

“I’m useless! And I always will be!” Jack screamed.

The area was quiet. Bunnymund stared.

“And that’s why everyone always forgets about me.” Jack finished.

“That’s not true, Jack! I…” Bunnymund was cut off by the sound of something cracking.

Bunnymund and Jack locked eyes and then they turned to the statue behind Jack. The place where he had slammed his fist now had a small crack in it.

“Jack, Jack, get out of there!” Bunnymund could hear the shifting sands moving.

There was no time. The sand, as if sensing the weakness in the ice, shot out. Bunnymund tried to get to Jack, but it was no use. All he heard was Jack’s scream as he was engulfed in the black sand.

“No!” Bunnymund roared.

He darted in, but it was like trying to swim through molasses. He used his powerful legs to push himself forward and for a moment, he grabbed onto Jack’s arm. Jack and he looked at each other and then Bunnymund felt something pierce his back. He let out a howl of agony and his grip slipped. Jack and he were dragged under.

When he woke up next, it was with a pounding headache and pain in his spine. Hell, his very body seemed to ache. He groaned as he pushed himself up, shaking his head as he did so.

“What happened?” he mumbled.

Something hissed in his ear and he jerked back, eyes darting around, trying to find where it came from. Looking around, he found himself in a small cave. His ears twitched as he placed a hand on the wall beside him. 

“What happened?” he muttered again, rubbing his eyes.

A flash of icy blue and his heart started to beat very quickly.

“Jack! Jack!” he called.

There was no answer, but he did notice a small pinprick of light. He tested the area, checking to see how big it was. It was just big enough for him to crawl through.

“The things I do for this kid.” Bunnymund muttered.

He crawled slowly, not really sure what would happen if he moved too fast. He had no idea how stable this tunnel was after all. The light got bigger as he went, so he hoped this meant he was getting somewhere. Finally, he popped his head out of the hole and gasped. He was in a huge room, walls of ice all around him, except for a single circle of light at the very top.

“By the Moon.” he muttered as he stood up. 

In the dead center was some sort of cocoon and as Bunnymund got closer, he realized that it was made of black sand and ice. Trapped inside was Jack. His eyes were closed, curled up in a tight ball with his staff clenched to his chest.

“Hey, Frostbite, can you hear me?” Bunnymund yelled.

There was nothing, no movement, no reaction. Bunnymund swallowed and pressed a hand against the cocoon. It was solid, the thickest ice Bunnymund had ever seen. Jack must have tried to escape that black sand and this is what had happened. Bunnymund eyed the ice and shook his head. If he broke it, there’s no telling what would happen next. He had to be careful.

“I’ll be back. I promise.” Bunnymund took a few steps back and tapped the floor with his foot.

He was gone in a second, racing through his underground tunnels back to North’s place. He had to get help. Jack needed him.

“By the Moon.” North muttered, staring at Bunnymund in awe.

Tooth floated beside him, her hands clasped together with worry. Sandy was biting his lip, looking uncertain. They stared at the wound on Bunnymund’s back, the way the black sand seemed to cling to the edges.

“You said there was a statue?” North asked, rubbing his beard.

“Yeah, a huge one. Jack said it was from the Easter that Pitch attacked.” Bunnymund said.

His back ached and from what he could see, he wondered if he should be worried about black sand infecting him. Sandy touched his wound, turning the black sand gold once more.

“It’s been there all this time? Why did Jack not tell us?” Tooth said.

“Maybe he was scared? I mean, we never even knew Jack saw Pitch after that.” Bunnymund stated.

“But why? Why wouldn’t he tell us? Does he not trust us?” Tooth begged.

“Why should he?” North asked.

They all looked at him, startled.

“What’d you mean, North?” Bunnymund asked.

“Think about this, my friends. We turned on Jack because we believed he did not help us protect the eggs for Easter. Bunny, you especially treated Jack badly. He had no reason to tell us anything.” North replied.

Bunnymund looked at the floor. His past actions made him feel ill.

“But, even after all these years?” Tooth asked.

“Perhaps he worried that we would react badly. Pitch… he got too close to destroying us. Perhaps he feared it would bring up bad memories.” North stated before pausing.

North rubbed his eyes.

“He didn’t even tell us about Jamie.” North finished.

Bunnymund sighed.

“We can think about all of this later. We need to go help Jack.” Bunnymund stressed.

They gathered their wits about them and Bunnymund opened his portal back to where Jack was. As they stood in the dome, North whistled.

“It’s huge.” Tooth muttered.

“And thick. Some of the thickest ice I have ever seen.” Bunnymund said, arms crossed.

“Sandy, what should we do?” North asked.

Sandy looked around, the look on his face was deeply concerning. He drifted over to a wall and pointed.

“What about the wall?” North asked.

Sandy made a wall over his own head and then a small crack in it.

“You want to crack it just a bit? Why? Can’t you change it all at once?” Tooth asked.

Sandy made the wall again and made a bigger hole, causing sand to shoot out of it.

“Oh, I get it. He’s worried if we break the ice, the black sand will infect us. I mean look around. It’s in every wall, nook and cranny. We’d get infected in a heartbeat if we’re too reckless.” Bunnymund said.

“But what about Jack?” Tooth asked.

She placed a hand on his cocoon, his worry clear. Bunnymund felt the same, but if they were too reckless, it could end badly.

“He’ll just have to wait.” Bunnymund said.

It turned out, changing the black sand back to gold took a lot longer than they believed. Sandy could only change so much of it as he drilled small holes in the walls between making dreams for the children. They couldn’t even go near the cocoon, not with how much black sand was encased it in and how thick the ice was. So they focused on the weaker points, drilling into the ice and hoping that it would be done soon.

Jack wasn’t completely left alone, however. Bunnymund, North and Tooth all made it a point to come and visit him while he slept. They would talk about whatever came to mind, sharing stories with him or just tell him how much they missed him. As the weeks passed, North came less and less, his holiday slowly creeping up on him. Tooth often came with her gaggle of fairies, working from Jack’s side, but even she had priorities and she couldn’t always come.

Bunnymund, however, refused to let a day go by without seeing Jack. Sure, it was hard, he was the only one who could paint the eggs for his holiday after all. Unlike some people, he didn’t have any yetis to help him, but the idea that Jack might wake up and no one was there when he needed them made Bunnymund push past all his own concerns.

“The walls are almost empty.” Tooth said one day as she stopped by.

Bunnymund glanced up at her before looking around. She was right. Most of the black sand was gone, but that still left the biggest part. Bunnymund sighed and placed his egg down, watching it jump into the small hole to return to the Warren.

“It’s been days, Tooth. Do you think Jack is ok?” Bunnymund said rubbing his eyes.

Tooth landed on the ground, her feet touching the soft blanket that North had made and set out. She looked over the cocoon and shook her head.

“I really… don’t know, Bunny.” she replied.

“I guess all we can do now is hope.” Bunnymund said.

Tooth smiled.

“Well, if we have you on our side, I guess we have a chance.” she said sweetly.

“Thanks, shelia.” he replied smiling.

He got to his feet, stretching his hands above his head and sighed. He took one step forward when he heard it. The cracking of ice. Tooth and he looked at each other, panicked, before turning to the cocoon. Sure enough, there was a thick crack in it.

“Oh no! No, Sweet Tooth, please!” Tooth begged.

“Stop, Frostbite! You have to stop, it’s dangerous!” Bunnymund yelled.

The cracking continued. He could hear the sand, shifting, moving, searching for a weak point. Bunnymund and Tooth shared a look.

“Go, quickly.” Tooth said.

Bunnymund tapped his foot and was racing to the Pole before he could think twice. He popped up just outside and ran to the door.

“North! NORTH! EMERGENCY!” he yelled.

The Yeti opened the door and he pushed past him, ignoring his yells of anger. He ran to North’s office and threw open the door.

“No one ever knocks!” North yelled, watching as his train was smashed.

“North, now is not the time for toys! It’s Jack! Hurry!” Bunnymund replied hotly.

North’s eyes widened and he grabbed his coat, swords and a snowglobe.

“You go for Sandy, I will go to Jack.” North said.

Bunnymund nodded as North smashed the globe and disappeared. Bunnymund tapped his foot again. By this point in the day, Sandy should be near Texas. He hopped out and looked around, following the trails of golden sand to the dream maker.

“Sandy! Come quickly! It’s Jack!” Bunnymund yelled.

Sandy’s face fell and before Bunnymund could think twice, he was wrapped in sand and they were flying across the ocean.

“Whoa!” Bunnymund yelped, trying to hold on to something, but there was nothing to grab.

The sand slipped through his fingers, so he just clung to the strap of sand around his waist. They stopped above the dome and Bunnymund could see huge cracks in everything. God, the very dome was falling apart! They dropped through the circle in the roof and landed before the cocoon. Bunnymund’s ears dropped as he saw how big the cracks were.

“Sandy, Sandy, what do we do?” North begged.

Sandy stared at the cocoon before moving closer. Placing both his hands on the cocoon, he began to feed his sand in. They watched as the black sand and gold sand battled, as slowly the gold sand began to take over.

“It’s working!” Tooth said joyously.

Sandy smiled, pleased, but just then, Jack’s eyes snapped open. They were glowing a bright white and the Guardians found themselves blown away. Bunnymund scrambled to sit up, staring at the wreckage of what had once been a large cocoon, wondering what horror awaited them. He saw Jack’s silhouette behind a chunk of ice and got ready.

“Jack?” Tooth called.

“T-Tooth?” Jack’s voice replied.

It sounded like him, but Bunnymund held out his arm, keeping Tooth from racing to Jack’s side.

“Easy, shelia.” Bunnymund whispered.

“To-Tooth? Are you there? Please. I’m scared.” Jack called again.

Tooth’s wings started to beat faster and she struggled a bit against Bunnymund’s arm.

“Bunny. Please, he needs us.” Tooth whispered.

“Tooth, Bunny is right. We have no idea if he has been infected by the sand.” North said softly.

“Please? Is anyone there? North? Sandy? Bunny?” Jack begged.

Bunnymund hated himself. Hated that he was doubting Jack so much, but what if the black sand had infected him? If he was infected, what would happen? Jack was already so upset with them. What if this amplified his anger? Bunnymund handed Tooth off to North and took a deep breath before standing up. He was ready to face whatever he came up against.

“Jack? Jack!” Bunnymund called. 

He took a few steps closer. He looked over the side of the ice and saw blue eyes staring back at him.

“Jack?” he whispered.

This was Jack, but it was clear he was infected by the sand. His white hair’s roots were now black, his eyes were ringed with black. Bunnymund swallowed hard, wondering what he should expect.

“Bunny?” Jack called.

Jack slowly got to his feet, swaying a bit as he looked around, leaning heavily on his staff. He seemed dazed.

“What happened? I thought… Tooth, is she here?” Jack asked.

Bunnymund wasn’t sure what to say to that. He moved around the ice and reached out for Jack.

“Bunny, why won’t you answer me? Is Tooth here? What about North? Or Sandy?” Jack demanded, pulling away.

Jack slipped a bit and yelped, catching himself on one of the pieces of his cocoon. He turned slightly, before stopping. Staring into the ice, he took in his new feature before screaming.

“W-What happened to me! My eyes! My hair!” Jack tugged at his own hair, staring at the black roots.

“Jack, Jack, listen to me.” Bunnymund said kneeling down.

Jack looked at him, eyes wide with fear.

“Bunny, what is going on?” Jack whimpered.

Bunny sat down and pulled Jack into a hug. He rubbed Jack’s back as he shivered and shook.

“You’re… infected. By black sand.” Bunnymund explained.

Jack stopped, his breathing labored.

“Black… sand? Oh moon, the statue.” Jack muttered.

Bunnymund nodded.

“W-What do I do? I mean, we can get rid of it, can’t we?” Jack asked.

“Sandy will have to find a way.” Bunnymund stated.

“He’s here, isn’t he?” Jack said, turning his head.

Bunnymund paused. How did Jack know exactly where they were standing?

“Jack, can you sense them?” Bunnymund asked.

“I can sense something. It’s odd. Like I know they are there and I know they are…” Jack eyes took on an unholy glow.

“Afraid.” he said darkly.

So that’s why he kept calling out for Tooth. He had no doubt Tooth’s fear was stronger than the others since she saw Jack as her son. Bunnymund stood up and helped Jack to his feet.

“Did you come here to make sure I wasn’t like evil or something?” Jack asked.

Bunnymund sighed.

“Something like that. Let’s go.” Bunnymund helped Jack as they walked.

He seemed weak, but getting stronger. Bunnymund hated to think that Jack might be feeding off their fear like Pitch did. Tooth saw Jack and started to cry, hugging him tightly to her chest and petting his hair. North stood back, rubbing his chin, eyes narrowed.

“So he is infected.” North muttered as Bunnymund moved to his side.

“He is. He can sense us. He knows we were scared.” Bunnymund whispered.

Sandy frowned and drifted closer as Tooth released him. Jack and Sandy seemed to lock eyes. Sandy reached out and touched Jack’s skin. The second he did, Jack hissed as if he had been burned and jerked back. They could see the small red dot where Sandy’s fingertip had just barely grazed his skin.

“That hurts!” Jack snapped.

It happened so suddenly, no one was sure what happened. One minute, Sandy was standing there, the next he was gone. Everyone gasped and turned, staring at where Sandy was now embedded in the snow, his legs kicking frantically as he tried to get out. He had been blown right off his feet by a fierce gust of wind.

“Sandy!” Tooth cried, covering her mouth.

Jack looked stricken, eyes wide with shock as North ran over and helped Sandy out. The Sandman seemed dazed before shaking his head.

“I didn’t mean to. I swear!” Jack said nervously.

Frost tipped with black started to appear under his feet and Bunnymund frowned.

“I think it’s best we take you to North’s place. See if we can figure out just how much this sand affects you.” Bunnymund stated.

Everyone agreed and North took out another snowglobe. When they landed in his office, Jack hissed and pulled up his hood.

“It’s too bright.” he whined.

If you asked Bunnymund, it was pretty dark, but he figured it was a combination of being sleeping for so long and the black sand. North sat in his chair and frowned.

“Jack, I want to try a few exercises. We’ll see how your magic is affected.” North said.

“Oh… ok. Like what?” Jack asked.

“Just do some normal things. Snowballs, frost, ice statues. Let’s see what happens.” North stated.

Jack nodded. He held out a hand and blew lightly. The snowball seemed fine enough to Bunnymund, but Jack frowned.

“It’s too heavy. If I threw this, someone could get hurt.” Jack said.

“Try again.” Tooth encouraged.

Over and over Jack tried to make his snowballs lighter, but each one was heavier than the last. They contained more ice than snow, making them dangerous. Jack looked completely put out.

“Enough snowballs. What about just frost? I mean there’s no harm in frost.” Bunnymund said.

Jack walked over to a wall and lightly laid his fingertips on it. The wall was frozen solid in a heartbeat. Jack’s face fell.

“What? No, that’s not what I wanted.” Jack said taking a step back.

“Ok, maybe not that.” Bunnymund said, eyes wide.

Jack swallowed. He pointed his staff at the floor and made a small circle. Slowly, a statue started to form. Bunnymund knelt down, startled to see his own face looking back at him. Jack finished and it was pretty good. Simple, but he got the main details right. Bunnymund had to admit, Jack had done an amazing job.

“Wow. Sweet Tooth, that’s amazing.” Tooth gasped.

Jack let out a breath and smiled. The second he looked away, the statue jerked and exploded to pieces. Bunnymund yelped, jumping out of the way. All that was left was a twisted mess.

“No…” Jack’s eyes watered. 

He looked completely crushed. Sandy floated over and pointed to Jack’s staff. Jack blinked a few times before handing it over. Sandy held it up and they could see the black sand in it. Sandy made a few signs that went right over Jack’s head, but North got it.

“So the black sand has also infected your staff. It must be amplifying your power to the extreme.” North stated.

“Then Jack will just have to work without his staff for now.” Bunnymund said.

“NO!” Jack roared. 

He snatched his staff away from Sandy, pressing it close to his chest. He backed away from them, eyes wide with fright.

“Sweet Tooth? What’s wrong?” Tooth asked.

Jack bit his lip, looking incredibly nervous and fearful.

“I… I can’t use my powers without my staff.” Jack admitted.

“What? At all?” North asked confused.

Jack gave a slow nod.

“I’ve only ever used my staff to make Winter. The one time I didn’t….” he trailed off.

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.” Bunnymund said.

“It was the Easter of ‘87.” Jack muttered.

Bunnymund paused.

“I just wanted to make a small dusting. I thought it would be a good chance to try it, but I passed out and when I woke up…” Jack trailed off.

“It was a blizzard.” Bunnymund stated.

Jack nodded shamefully. Bunnymund grumbled something under his breath, but North shushed him.

“Have you tried since? Perhaps it was simply first time nerves?” North suggested.

Jack picked at his hoodie, looking uncertain.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Jack mumbled.

“Blah! Nonsense! Let us test it out! Come, come!” North got up and grabbed Jack, dragging him to the window. 

He pushed open the window and nodded before taking Jack’s staff. Jack’s hands reached for it subconsciously, but North was simply too tall. He handed it off to Sandy for him to keep an eye on.

“Just start with something small, honey.” Tooth said, wringing her hands together.

Jack bit his lip before nodding. He held out his hands, though they were shaking and closed his eyes. For a minute, nothing happened and then it lightly started to snow. The snow was soft and light, barely more than a dusting, but Jack’s face soon broke out into a sweat. He started to pant heavily, his body shaking.

“Easy, Jack.” North said, smiling.

“North, something’s wrong.” Jack muttered.

The storm clouds became darker and darker, the light snow started to come down heavier and harder. Bunnymund didn’t like what he was seeing.

“Uh hey, North. I think Jack should stop.” Bunnymund said.

Sandy looked equally as nervous as signs flashing above his head, most of them consisting of ‘stop’ and ‘slow down’. Bunnymund could only agree.

“This is fine!” North said.

“North….” Tooth muttered.

She was watching, eyes wide as the sky turned black as night. The snow was coming down so fast that it was almost impossible to see out. Jack’s whole body was vibrating, his panting heavy in everyone’s ears.

“It hurts.” Jack moaned, his head tilting back.

“North.” Bunnymund hissed.

“Ah, maybe this was not a good idea.” North said as the wind started to howl.

“Sandy, do something!” Bunnymund yelled.

Sandy created a ball of sand and hit Jack with it. His body went limp and the storm stopped. North let out a breath and brought Jack inside before placing him on a couch. They watched, sadly, as the golden sand changed to black, Jack’s soft whimpers made Bunnymund feel ill.

“So his staff amplifies his power too much and when he doesn’t have it, it goes out of control. Just great.” Bunnymund leaned against a wall.

“There has to be something we can do.” Tooth said.

“Sandy will have to find a way to fix it.” North nodded to Sandy, who nodded back.

“Ok, so what does Jack do until then? I mean, North, Christmas is literally around the corner. He’s been asleep most of the winter.” Bunnymund stated.

North frowned and leaned back.

“A green Christmas never hurt anyone.” North said slowly.

Tooth just let out a sigh as she covered Jack in a blanket.

“Do we… even know if this is curable? I mean…” Tooth trailed off.

“The only one who can answer that is Pitch and I am not about to go ask him.” Bunnymund snarled.

None of the other Guardians noticed that the dreams above Jack’s head had disappeared. Blue eyes narrowed as Jack clutched the blanket to him. An idea was forming.

Two days later, Jack landed next to the icy pond of Burgess with a crash.

“Wind, really!” Jack snapped as he got up.

God, even flying was impossible to control! Either he flew too high or he dropped like a rock. He shook his head, making sure his hood was still up, happy he had landed in some leftover snow before he got up. Dusting himself off, he looked around. It was strange. Since he had woken up, he had learned that his ability to sense other people’s emotions was very strong. He could tell if they were happy, sad, or more importantly, afraid. With this new sense came the horrible realization that the other Guardians… were scared of him.

Everytime one of them even looked at him or mentioned his name, he could feel their worry, their fear, their unease and it killed him inside. Even now, he could feel the emotions of the animals in the forest around them. They were scared of him and though he didn’t want to, he could feel himself absorbing that energy into himself. He shuddered as he started walking.

“He has to be here somewhere.” Jack muttered.

North had all, but locked him in the Pole after waking up, insisting that he just needed some time and that Sandy would take care of everything, but Jack couldn’t just sit still. Pitch had to have the answer on how to fix this. He was going to make the Boogieman tell him what he knew.

“Bingo.” Jack muttered.

The ritchy bed with the hole underneath it stood in a lonely clearing. Jack dropped down, only barely saving himself from hitting the ground with some quick snow. He mumbled as he started walking, but as he came across the large kingdom that Pitch controlled, he found himself slowing a bit. Something inside him cooed in delight, happy to be in the darkened cave, surrounded by chains and bad memories. Jack adjusted his hood and kept going.

“Pitch.” he called.

His voice echoed for what seemed like forever, but he got no reply. Jack walked along the walkways, looking around as he went. He saw no Nightmares, no shadow beasts to block his way, nothing. In fact, the place seemed surprisingly empty, but he could feel them. They were waiting, hiding in the darkness and he wondered why. He walked for a while, just looking at the place that had haunted his nightmares for so many days after that failed Easter.

“Where is he?” Jack mumbled.

He turned a corner and found two Nightmares had cornered someone. He couldn’t get a good look at them because of the shadows, but this didn’t look good to him.

“Hey!” he yelled, making them jump.

The two disappeared and Jack huffed.

“Cowards.” he muttered.

“Who’s there?” a voice called.

Jack blinked, startled as he crept closer. Gold eyes looked back at him and he let out a breath.

“Pitch?” Jack called.

The man looked like Pitch, but wasn’t Pitch. Gone was the grey skin and black outfit. Instead, he was tanned with a general’s uniform on. He had a sword in his hand, but he looked a little worse for wear. 

“I’m sorry, but my name is not Pitch. Well, I mean it is, but it’s not.” the man stumbled as he slowly sat up.

“Then who are you?” Jack asked.

He was still cautious, but also curious. He remembered, vaguely, that North had told him once that Pitch hadn’t always been Pitch. That he had once been a great general named...

“I am Kozmotis Pitchiner. I am the High Lord General of the Galaxies. And you are?” he asked groaning as he stood up.

Jack could only stare before shaking his head. He took a step back, mind blank. What did this mean? Pitch was… gone? The only person who could help him was gone?

“Jack… Jack Frost.” Jack muttered.

Pitch, no Kozmotis, blinked before bowing.

“A pleasure to meet you, Frost. Are you here to help me? Did the King send you?” he asked eagerly.

“I… No, I was looking for Pitch.” Jack said.

“Pitch? Who is this Pitch? Is he the master of those creatures?” Kozmotis asked.

“Yes, you were.” Jack replied.

Kozmotis stared at Jack, startled.

“Me? What on the moon are you talking about, my boy?” Kozmotis asked.

Jack swallowed.

“You are Pitch Black, or you were. Those things are called Nightmares. You created them to hurt children.” Jack replied.

Kozmotis stared at him, eyes wide.

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you are going on about. I am not this Pitch Black. I am Kozmotis. Anyone can tell you that.” Kozmotis demanded.

Jack shook his head. So much was happening. So many questions he didn’t have the answers to. He rubbed his face before turning.

“We should go. It’s dangerous here if there are more Nightmares around.” Jack said.

“Jack, I really wish you would answer me. Did the King send you? And where am I?” Kozmotis asked as they walked.

“No one sent me. I came here to see Pitch… well, you. About something.” Jack shook his head.

Kozmotis sighed deeply.

“I don’t understand then. You came all the way here for a question? To talk to this Pitch Black fellow?” Kozmotis asked confused.

Jack grit his teeth.

“I didn’t have a choice. He was the only one who could fix me. Even Sandy can’t help me.” Jack said angrily.

Kozmotis stopped and Jack turned to him. Kozmotis looked highly confused.

“Sandy? Do you mean Sanderson Mansnoozie? How do you know him if you weren’t sent by the King?” Kozmotis asked.

“Listen, I don’t know what King you keep going on about, but Sandy is a Guardian of Childhood. Like North, Tooth and Bunny. He helps protect the children.” Jack snapped.

“Protect them? But I don’t understand, we locked away the darkness! The children should be safe!” Kozmotis said frustrated.

“They weren’t safe from you.” Jack replied.

Kozmotis stared, eyes wide with shock.

“M-Me? Are you saying… I hurt… children?” Kozmotis demanded.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Pitch Black, The Boogieman, The Monster in The Closet, the creature that attacks children’s dreams and turns them into nightmares. That is the Pitch Black I know.” Jack replied.

“And I keep telling you, I am not Pitch Black!” Kozmotis snarled.

Jack slammed his staff on the walkway and it froze solid. Kozmotis stopped, staring.

“Don’t. Yell. At. Me. I've been having a really rough Winter and I am not afraid to freeze you and leave you here. I’m the only one who knows you’re here, after all.” Jack said, eyes glowing under his hood.

Jack hated that Kozmotis’ sudden fear was more intoxicating to him than anything he had ever felt before. He tried to ignore it, but there was some delight in seeing Pitch of all people staring at him with those terrified eyes. 

“What are you?” Kozmotis asked.

“I’m Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun, chosen by the Man in The Moon.” Jack explained.

“Man in the… What are you talking about! None of this makes any sense!” Kozmotis yelled. 

Jack grit his teeth, ready to just freeze him and be done with it when they heard yelling.

“Jack! Jack!” North yelled.

Jack blew out a breath.

“Here we go. I’m over here!” Jack muttered before yelling back.

Tooth was there in a flash, placing herself between Pitch and Jack.

“Pitch, you leave my Sweet Tooth alone, you...!” Tooth rant was cut off when she actually looked at Kozmotis.

He looked at her in turn, confused by the sight of her. She landed on the ground, swallowing. She seemed to have no idea what to do with him now.

“Tooth! Frostbite, where are you!” Bunnymund called.

“Over here.” Tooth replied, voice shaking.

Bunnymund appeared first, boomerangs at the ready as he landed on the walkway. North appeared next with Sandy, dropping from one of Sandy’s sand clouds with his swords ready.

“Pitch, you slimy…” Bunnymund’s threat trailed off as he looked at Kozmotis.

“You’re… not Pitch.” North said.

“I am not. As I told your friend here, I am not Pitch Black.” Kozmotis’ eyes trailed to Sandy and he paused.

“Sanderson.” Kozmotis muttered.

Sandy floated in close, his eyes taking in every detail as he circled Kozmotis. When he was done, he sat back on a dream cloud, stunned.

“Sandy… is it really him?” Bunnymund asked.

Sandy gave a slow nod. North put his swords away and crossed his arms.

“I don’t believe it. After all these years.” North muttered.

“Years? What do you mean years? Are you telling me this boy was telling the truth? That I was this Pitch Black monster? How is that possible? And just how long have I been Pitch Black?” Kozmotis demanded.

The older guardians all looked at each other. Sandy floated up to Kozmotis eye level and a rather large number appeared above his head. Kozmotis’ mouth dropped.

“It-It can’t be. Are you telling me I lost that much time?” Kozmotis asked.

Sandy nodded. Kozmotis covered his mouth, looking away.

“I think… I am going to be ill.” Kozmotis said.

“If you are, let’s get out of here first.” Bunnymund said, ears twitching.

Jack could feel the Nightmares coming. Their hunger clawed at Jack's brain and he let out a moan of pain. It was too much. The sensory overload was too much. Bunnymund scowled, watching the twitching shadows.

“Let’s go.” Bunnymund scooped up Jack and darted off.

Sandy called upon his sand to take Kozmotis and North while Tooth flew ahead. They raced out of the cave, ignoring the golden eyes watching them from every corner. When they got outside, the sun was starting to come up and Jack hissed, covering his face with his hood as he buried his face in Bunnymund’s chest.

“Too bright.” he moaned.

“Easy, Frostbite. I got you.” Bunnymund muttered.

Kozmotis stepped off the sand cloud and looked around. His eyes were wide as he took in the area all around him.

“Sanderson… where are we?” Kozmotis whispered.

“Perhaps it is best we head somewhere we can talk in private.” North said walking over to his sleigh.

“Oh hell no. I am not getting in that death trap. I’ll see you all at North’s.” Bunnymund said, shaking his head.

“Bleh, Bunny is just scared.” North teased.

Bunnymund rolled his eyes. 

“I doubt Show Pony wants to be in direct sunlight. I’ll take him through my tunnels and beat you there.” Bunnymund said with a smirk.

“As if you could outrun my reindeer!” North roared.

“Watch me, mate.” Bunnymund winked.

He tapped his foot twice and disappeared with Jack into one of his tunnels. North threw up his hands.

“It is on now! Everyone, in the sleigh!” North yelled as he climbed in.

Kozmotis raised an eyebrow and looked at Sandy.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Kozmotis stated.

Kozmotis emptied the contents of his stomach into a bucket as Sandy rubbed his back. Bunnymund snorted from his chair.

“Should have gone with me in the tunnels, mate.” Bunnymund stated.

“I wasn’t exactly given a choice!” Kozmotis said before he threw up again.

“Bleh, you understand nothing, Bunny. The sleigh is great fun! Kozmotis simply has a weak stomach.” North said.

Bunnymund rolled his eyes. Jack was curled up in the farthest corner, hidden mostly from view. Bunnymund was keeping an eye on him as well, wondering what was going on inside his head. Kozmotis took the wet cloth Tooth handed him and nodded his thanks as he wiped his mouth.

“So can someone please explain to me what happened? To me? To the kingdom?” Kozmotis asked.

Sandy moved in front of him and signs began to flash above his head quickly. Kozmotis stared, watching for a while before sighing.

“My friend, I only caught maybe half of that.” Kozmotis rubbed his eyes.

Bunnymund snorted again.

“You caught half? I got lost after the first ten.” Bunnymund said as Sandy glared his way.

“Sorry, Sandy, but perhaps I should tell him?” North asked.

Sandy nodded and moved away. Jack perked up a bit, curious. As North started to explain, they watched the emotions cross Kozmotis’ face. Fear, horror, shock, embarrassment and when North finished, shame. He covered his face with his hands as North described the Dark Ages, a time where Pitch had reigned supreme. Jack shuddered slightly, hating that there was a part of him that wanted to know more about that time period. He kept those thoughts to himself.

“I… I cannot believe I failed.” Kozmotis said as North stopped.

Bunnymund opened his mouth, but Tooth glared his way and he winced as he snapped it shut.

“I failed my King, I failed my kingdom. And yet, worse still, are my actions against the children of this planet. No wonder you all treated me with such hostility.” Kozmotis rubbed his eyes.

“We apologize for that, but Pitch is… crafty. We weren’t sure what to make of you.” Tooth said.

Kozmotis nodded. He glanced at Jack, frowning.

“Frost said he came to ask Pitch… me a question. You don’t exactly seem friendly with each other, so why?” Kozmotis asked.

“That’s what we want to know. Jack, you knew how dangerous it was!” North said angrily.

“You said Pitch might have an idea on how to fix me.” Jack replied softly.

“Sweet Tooth, he could have hurt you! You ran in there and didn’t tell anyone!” Tooth said.

“I know! I know, but I don’t want to stay like this! I mean!” Jack got up and threw off his hood.

“It’s getting worse!” Jack said angrily.

Tooth covered her mouth, horror on her face. Jack hair was mostly black now, only white tips remaining. His blue eyes were now pitch black and they could see his skin had taken a gray tint. Everyone stared as Jack pulled his hood back up.

“I just… want to be normal again.” Jack whispered.

“Jack, I understand, but you could have gotten hurt. That is all.” North said gently.

Jack sighed and nodded.

“Well, now we have an even bigger problem.” Bunnymund said.

“How so?” Kozmotis asked.

“With Pitch gone, how are the Nightmares still around? He was the one keeping them under control. He was the one making them. Now who’s in charge?” Bunnymund asked.

The Guardians all looked at each other, panicked.

“Sandy, have you noticed any nightmares recently?” North asked.

Sandy shook his head and North hummed.

“Then there is a good chance they have no leader. If that is the case, then we should be cautious.” North stated.

“I don’t understand.” Jack muttered.

“Without a leader, they are free to do as they please. That means they have no reason to hold back on how many children they infect.” Tooth explained.

“Then why aren’t they?” Bunnymund asked.

“I am not sure, but we need to be cautious either way.” North said simply.

Kozmotis listened to this all with growing worry. North was right, if they were under the control of someone, that was one thing, but if they were free to do as they pleased…

“What if… they are waiting?” Jack asked.

“Waiting? For what?” Bunnymund asked confused.

Jack rubbed his arms, as if he were cold.

“For a new leader. For a new… Pitch Black. For… me?” Jack asked.

There was a moment where everything seemed to stop. Bunnymund’s mouth dropped, Tooth stared, Sandy shook his head and North grit his teeth.

“How do you know that?” Tooth asked.

“I could feel it. When I went down there, I could feel their uncertainty, but their patience. As if they knew they were waiting for something, but they didn’t know what.” Jack admitted.

North leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin. 

“So what happens now then?” Bunnymund asked

“Our priorities haven’t changed. We need to change Jack back as quickly as possible if that is the case.” North stated.

Sandy nodded and floated over to Jack. Kozmotis frowned and looked around.

“And what about me?” he asked.

The other looked at each other, unsure.

“I guess, for now, someone should keep an eye on you. You never know.” Bunnymund said.

Kozmotis frowned. He didn’t exactly like that he was being looked at with suspicion, but he guessed it made sense. They couldn’t just leave him alone and hope he will stay this way.

“Christmas is almost upon us.” North said nervously. 

“It’s fine, mate. I’ll take him.” Bunnymund said standing up.

“And what about me?” Jack asked.

“You are to stay here. No running off this time.” North wagged his finger at Jack and he sighed.

“Fine.” Jack huffed.

North nodded and Kozmotis could see the care in his eyes. A ping came to his chest and he looked at Sandy.

“Sanderson. I need to know. What happened to my daughter?” Kozmotis asked.

He had planned on asking in private, but it was killing him not to know. Sandy frowned. He made a small silhouette of a girl, then an arrow and then a figure of a woman surrounded by flowers. Bunnymund’s head jerked back.

“Wait, are you telling me his daughter is Mother Nature?!” Bunnymund demanded.

“Is that so? So she’s safe?” Kozmotis said.

Sandy smiled and nodded and Kozmotis let out a breath.

“Thank god.” he muttered.

She was safe. She was safe and she had grown up to be a powerful spirit. That was all he could wish for. Bunnymund yawned and stretched.

“Listen, it’s late. We should all get back to our jobs. Kozmotis, follow me.” Bunnymund tapped his foot and a hole opened up. 

Kozmotis walked over and looked down, staring into the darkness.

“You’re joking.” he muttered.

“Come on, it’s not that bad.” Bunnymund rolled his eyes.

“I’m not sure.” Kozmotis said.

Bunnymund pushed him in and then gave a wave to everyone before following him. As the hole closed behind them, North snorted.

“I think Bunny is still holding a small grudge.” North stated.

Tooth just rolled her eyes.

Kozmotis hissed as he landed on his ass. Slowly getting up, he jumped out of the way as Bunnymund appeared behind him.

“Was that really necessary?” Kozmotis demanded.

“You were taking too long. I have eggs to color.” Bunnymund replied.

Kozmotis started to look around, amazed by all the color.

“By the Moon. It’s so beautiful here.” Kozmotis said in awe.

Bunnymund puffed out his chest proudly.

“It has ever flower, tree and plant I could find.” Bunnymund stated.

“That’s amazing. And you’re the… I apologize, Easter Bunny?” Kozmotis asked, his tongue stumbling over the words.

“That’s right. Guardian of Hope, bringer of Spring.” Bunnymund nodded.

“I see. And Jack… he said he was the Guardian of Fun?” Kozmotis asked.

“Eeyup and all the nonsense that comes with it. The bloody Show Pony.” Bunnymund grumbled.

Yet, it was affectionate. As if Bunnymund was more amused by Jack than angry at him. Kozmotis hummed.

“He is the youngest of you all, right?” Kozmotis asked.

“Yeah, he only became a Guardian a few years ago.” Bunnymund stated.

“So what was he before that? Just a normal spirit?” Kozmotis asked.

“He’s always been the keeper of Winter as far as I know. He’s still young, only a few hundred years old.” Bunnymund said.

“Oh, so you two were friends before?” Kozmotis pushed.

“Not...exactly.” Bunnymund coughed.

“I don’t understand.” Kozmotis said.

“We have a very complicated history. We didn’t exactly get along for a long time.” Bunnymund said.

“Oh, then he was friends with North first?” Kozmotis asked.

“North and Jack never really met before he became a Guardian.” Bunnymund said.

Kozmotis frowned.

“Toothianna? Sanderson?” he asked.

Bunnymund just shook his head.

“I’m lost. You said you are the Guardians, yes? Shouldn’t one of your jobs be to keep an eye on new spirits? To help them out if you can?” Kozmotis asked.

Bunnymund sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“To be honest with you, when it comes to other spirits, we don’t interact with them much. We all have our holidays and jobs to do, so we often are too busy to help them.” Bunnymund admitted.

“I’m sorry, but that doesn’t sound right. I mean, how can anyone expect them to know what to do then? How are they supposed to learn the rules and such?” Kozmotis asked.

“A lot of them just kind of learn by themselves. I never really thought about it.” Bunnymund admitted.

Kozmotis just shook his head. It seemed very odd to him that these great spirits, the so called Guardians, weren’t taking the time to help new spirits. 

“I apologize for all my questions. I am, admittedly, trying to understand how this new world works.” Kozmotis said.

“It’s fine. I mean I always wondered if we should take care of new spirits, but when it comes time…” Bunnymund shook his head.

Kozmotis nodded his head.

“I suppose it is a little much to ask.” Kozmotis said as he watched eggs march along.

“No, you’re right. It’s just hard. I mean I’m a Spring spirit. I can’t help spirits like Jack or even Summer spirits because I don’t know what it takes to do that job. I wish we had a spirit who could help organize us like that. North tries to help, but when it gets near Christmas, he has to focus.” Bunnymund said.

Kozmotis nodded. He watched as the flowers shifted in the wind and sighed deeply.

“What is happening to Jack?” Kozmotis finally bit the bullet.

Bunnymund scowled.

“Black sand. It’s infecting him. Sandy has been working to fix it, but…” Bunnymund shook his head.

“And Pitch did that to him?” Kozmotis asked.

“Not exactly. Some years ago, Pitch stole some of Sandy’s dream sand and turned it to black sand. Pitch and Jack fought and Jack froze a huge portion of black sand. It got free and he was infected.” Bunnymund scowled.

“And Sandy is not moving fast enough.” Kozmotis finished.

Bunnymund shook his head.

“It’s in his veins, his skin, his staff. If Sandy moves too fast, he could hurt Jack, but it’s crazy how fast it is moving.” Bunnymund said frustrated.

Kozmotis sighed and stared at the sky. How bright the blue of the sky was. How lovely this Warren looked. All of it, so peaceful, so calm and yet, Kozmotis could feel the turmoil in the Guardian next to him. They walked in silence.

Jack closed his eyes, trying to ignore his instinctual desire to tear himself out of Sandy’s dream sand. It burned his skin, made him hiss in discomfort, even with his clothing acting as a barrier between them. Sandy was trying to figure out the best way to change it all. They had tried by having Jack eat some, but that had just burned his throat and caused him to be sick.

Next had been having him soak in a tub of sand, but he had ended up with horrible burns the second he laid down. North and Sandy were now arguing the idea of having Sandy inject the sand into Jack’s body. Sandy was firmly against it while Jack and North both believed that it was the best idea. North had taken over arguing for it, leaving Jack to ponder next steps. He stared at his reflection, hating how each day, he was starting to look more and more like Pitch.

His hair was completely black now, his eyes were the same, but with hints of gold. His skin was a light gray color, and even his clothes were taking on a darker color. He hated it. And hated it more when he started to consider that he couldn’t even do his job anymore. Hell, he couldn’t even be allowed around children, least his fun turn dangerous. North had even taken his staff, worried Jack would be tempted to use it. He rubbed his eyes harshly, wiping away the tears. As he looked at them, he could see the specks of sand in his tears.

“This has to stop.” Jack demanded standing up.

North and Sandy looked at him, startled.

“Jack?” North asked.

“I need this to stop! I can’t take it anymore! I feel like I am going crazy!” Jack tugged at his hair.

“Jack, it is ok. Sandy will handle this, right, Sandy?” North said cheerfully.

Sandy glanced between them before giving Jack a shaky smile and a thumbs up. Just then, there was a knock and Bunnymund came in followed by Kozmotis and Phil the Yeti, who stared at Kozmotis, angrily, arms crossed.

“Bunny! When brings you two here?” North asked, waving Phil off.

“Kozmotis had a few questions. Figured it was best to get the answers from Sandy, the man himself.” Bunnymund stated as Phil shook a fist at Kozmotis before leaving.

Kozmotis looked completely confused by this. Sandy pointed to himself and Kozmotis nodded.

“Bunnymund has been explaining to me how things work, but I had a few more questions.” Kozmotis said.

“Ah, that might have to wait, my friend. We are busy.” North said sadly.

“No, it’s fine, North. I’m tired anyway. I think I am going to go take a nap.” Jack said rubbing his eyes.

He pulled his hood up and left, walking past Bunnymund and Kozmotis without a word. North sighed deeply.

“Anything working?” Bunnymund asked worried.

“No, none of it. The bath burned his skin, the food burned his mouth. The black sand is actively fighting back.” North said sitting down.

Sandy made a needle over his head with an X over it. Bunnymund frowned.

“You want to inject him with gold sand? That seems risky, North.” Bunnymund said.

“But nothing else is working, Bunny. And he is changing so quickly. I worry.” North said.

Sandy nodded and sat on his dream cloud, looking depressed. Kozmotis watched this all before turning. He followed the icy footprints he saw on the ground to a level higher, where Jack was sitting, curled up on a windowsill. He looked so young, so lost and something pinged in Kozmotis when he saw it.

“What is it, North?” Jack asked tiredly, not looking at him.

“Ah, I apologize. I am not him.” Kozmotis said coughing.

Jack turned and their eyes met and held. 

“Oh, sorry… why are you here?” Jack asked.

“I came to see if you were ok.” Kozmotis said.

Jack shrugged and looked back outside.

“I’m not. I haven’t been since I woke up.” Jack said.

Kozmotis walked over and sat down. Jack seemed to stare into the darkness before speaking. His voice barely above a whisper.

“I know they’re scared. I can feel it. I know exactly what they are afraid of. If I am truly turning into Pitch Black, then they need to stop me. Before I start another Dark Age.” Jack stated.

“They won’t hurt you, Jack.” Kozmotis said.

Jack looked at him.

“I know and that’s what I am scared of. How are they going to stop me then? Lock me away? Seal me up in some deep, dark cave? I don’t want to end up trapped somewhere forever, alone.” Jack replied.

Kozmotis swallowed hard. Admittedly, he understood that fear well. He didn’t remember many years of his life, but he did remember guarding the dungeons, trapped alongside the darkness they had tried to stop. Kozmotis looked away from Jack, rubbing his hands together. It didn’t help that Jack looked so young. Just barely older than his own daughter the last time he saw her. Jack rubbed his face and let out a groan.

“What scares you, Kozmotis?” Jack asked.

Kozmotis looked Jack’s way, but Jack’s face was suddenly so close. They were particularly breathing the same air. Jack’s eyes had an unholy gold glow to them as he stared at Kozmotis.

“I can feel your fear. Like the sweetest candy. It curls inside me and it makes me hunger for more.” Jack’s voice was different, darker, colder.

“Jack?” he called, panicked.

“Kozmotis, won’t you feed me more of that delicious fear?” Jack growled.

Kozmotis leaned back, panicked, but there was nowhere to go. Jack had him pinned. Jack smiled and it twisted his face into something grotesque and…

“Sweet Tooth! Kozmotis, where are you?” Tooth’s voice called.

Jack jerked back and Kozmotis watched as whatever had taken over Jack’s mind broke. Jack’s eyes returned to normal and he leaned back. He saw the way Jack’s skin paled, as if he had just realized what had happened. Jack’s lower lip trembled and he jumped up, pulling his hood on as quickly as he could. Tooth popped in just then, looking at them with confusion.

“Oh! There you two are! Come quickly, the Man in the Moon is appointing a new guardian!” Tooth said excitedly, though she seemed curious as to why they were together.

“A new guardian?” Jack asked, voice shaking.

“Yes! Oh, I can’t wait!” Tooth grabbed Jack’s arm and started to drag him away.

Kozmotis stood, but waited a moment, trying to control his shaking hands before following. They came to the globe and Kozmotis watched as the Moon appeared in a window above them.

“Who do you think it’s going to be? I mean, the last one was Jack.” North asked, excitedly.

Bunnymund crossed his fingers.

“Not the Groundhog, not the Groundhog.” he chanted quietly.

Jack snorted loudly, hands stuffed in his pockets. The light shone down and they watched as the silhouette appeared. There was a tense moment as they waited for it to finish forming.

“Wait… is that?” Tooth muttered.

Kozmotis stared down at his own form before slowly looking at the other Guardians. They looked shocked, amazed, but Jack, he looked angry. He took a step back and then another, eyes wet with tears.

“So… that’s it, huh?” Jack muttered.

“Sweet Tooth? What’s wrong?” Tooth asked.

Jack chuckled, but it was empty.

“Don’t you get it? Don’t you see? This proves it.” Jack said angrily.

“Proves what?” North asked confused.

“That, in the long run of things, I’m replaceable. I’m infected, so he’s replacing me with someone better. I should have known.” Jack said hotly.

“Whoa there, Frostbite. We don’t know that.” Bunnymund said.

“Oh shut up! It’s as clear as the nose on your face! He… he’s replacing me.” Jack hiccuped and rubbed his face.

“Jack, please calm down. I am sure this is just a coincidence.” North said gently.

Jack shook his head.

“How can I be a Guardian? I’m useless the way I am. I can’t even use my staff without freezing everything I touch. Sandy had to take it away. Who needs a Guardian of Fun infected with black sand?” Jack muttered.

Kozmotis could feel Jack’s heart breaking. It seemed to him that Jack had a lot of pride in his status and to have that threatened was killing him. Jack shook his head violently back and forth.

“What was the point then!” Jack screamed.

Ice crept across the floorboards and Kozmotis took a few steps back, not sure if it would freeze his feet.

“Jack, please.” North said.

“What was the point, you asshole! Why make me a Guardian? Why keep me alive!” Jack screamed at the Man in the Moon.

“Jack, honey.” Tooth was scared.

“WHY DRAG ME OUT OF THE LAKE! Why couldn’t you just leave me there?” Jack’s scream died to a whisper.

“Jack.” Bunnymund said.

Kozmotis looked at the other Guardians, saw their fearful eyes and faces and straightened his spine. He let out a breath and reminded himself that he was once a great general, he had faced the darkness and won. This? This was child’s play. He moved towards Jack, ignoring the ice cold that seemed to wrap around him. Jack was crying, harsh sobs mixed with terrified whimpers. Without a care, he wrapped his arms around Jack and held him, rubbing his back. Jack clung to him, sobbing.

“Jack, you have been so strong through all of this. You have fought hard and worked hard to try and stop this from happening. I am sure he knows that. You just need to stay strong.” Kozmotis said calmly.

Jack held onto him a while longer before pulling back. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, nodding his head.

“You’re right. I’m not ready to give up yet. I have to keep fighting.” Jack said bravely.

The other Guardians crowded around Jack, all talking at the same time about how they could fix this. Sandy extracted himself from them and floated over to Kozmotis. He smiled at the former Nightmare King.

“What?” Kozmotis asked.

Sandy just continued to smile. Kozmotis wasn’t sure he liked it.

After Jack had calmed down, they all moved to the Guardian’s room, where North clapped to get everyone's attention.

“Tonight has been a glorious night. We have been given a new Guardian, which means a… CELEBRATION!” he roared loudly.

“What?” Kozmotis asked, but he was drowned out by Yetis suddenly swarming the place, loud trumpets and mischievous elves.

They seemed to crowd him and Kozmotis was tugged to and fro as the celebrations went on. North laughed joyously, his face flushed with delight. Bunnymund was teasing some elves while Sandy cheered him on. Tooth was singing as she floated around the room and finally, Kozmotis managed to make it to the outskirts of the festivities, where Jack was hiding in a corner.

“I am so glad I said no to the celebration.” Jack said with a smile.

His hood was up again, hiding most of his face. Kozmotis sighed deeply.

“I was never one for parties.” he admitted stiffly.

Jack snorted.

“I figured that much. I could feel your panic from here. Not big on small spaces, huh? Or crowds.” Jack asked.

“Not so much. Crowds are too easy to rile up. A single accident and someone could get hurt.” Kozmotis said with a frown.

“Huh, I guess that’s your center then.” Jack stated.

“Center?” Kozmotis asked.

“Memories, hope, dreams, wonder… and fun. I guess you must be the Guardian of Safety or something.” Jack rubbed his chin.

Kozmotis turned to the party and hummed. The Guardian of Safety sounded a bit ridiculous to him, but maybe it made sense. Had he not spent most of his life protecting and watching over others?

“What about… the Guardian of Courage?” Kozmotis asked.

Jack paused and then smiled.

“I like that one.” Jack replied.

The party lasted well into the night and when North finally kicked them all out, Kozmotis found himself leaving with Tooth instead. After using a snow globe to return to her palace, Kozmotis found himself in awe of the beauty all around him.

“It’s amazing.” he said.

“Oh, thank you. I know it doesn’t have anything on Bunny’s Warden, but it’s home.” she said sweetly.

“His is beautiful in a different way than your’s. I find them both beautiful.” Kozmotis said gently.

She smiled brightly and he watched as fairies flew around overhead. He only had a vague understanding of what her job was. Maybe it was time to get some of his questions answered?

“So, you are the Tooth Fairy? What does that mean?” he asked, hands behind his back.

Tooth flew over to an archive and came back with a small container. Inside were teeth. 

“Each tooth is a memory. It’s my job to collect them and store them for when a child needs them most.” she explained.

He looked at her and then the teeth. They looked odd to him and he didn’t see the appeal. Yet, she held them like they were the most precious treasure.

“I see. So you are Memories, Bunnymund is Hope, Sandy is Dreams and North is Wonder.” he stated.

“And Jack is Fun.” she corrected.

“I see...I’m not really sure where he fits into all this. Fun is fleeting.” Kozmotis said.

Tooth hummed.

“But without Fun, there would be no Memories, no Dreams, no Hope or Wonder. If everything was bland and forgettable, then we won’t be here.” Tooth pointed out.

“Oh, you are right.” Kozmotis replied, startled.

Tooth sighed and covered the teeth again before putting them back.

“I wish Jack understood that.” she said sadly.

Kozmotis nodded.

“He seems to be having a rough time.” Kozmotis said as they started walking.

“For Jack, playing with the children is everything. He lives for the children, to bring them joy and laughter. To not be able to even go near them for fear of hurting them...it cuts at who he is as a spirit.” Tooth said.

Kozmotis frowned. Something tugged at the back of his mind.

“But the children can’t see him?” Kozmotis asked.

Tooth sighed. It was long and sad, as if she knew all too well.

“Jack… lost his last follower before he was infected.” Tooth said softly.

“What does that mean?” Kozmotis asked.

“Well, for me, if I lost all my followers, I would fade away. Disappear. Same for Bunny, North and Sandy. But Jack is also an elemental spirit, so his power isn’t affected.” Tooth stated.

She paused, wondering how to explain it.

“Jack never had any followers. Jamie and his friends were Jack’s first and he loved them dearly, but they got older and forgot about him.” Tooth said.

Kozmotis looked at his feet. The idea of it sounded terrifying. 

“I think Jack is still in mourning.” Tooth said.

“I can imagine. It seems like he gave so much to the children and for them to not even see him…” Kozmotis sighed.

“It’s one of the many reasons I stopped personally going out to collect teeth.” Tooth said sadly.

“Oh?” Kozmotis asked.

“Yes. Seeing the children who used to believe in me stop, who used to try and wait up all night for me to stop caring, it hurt. North, Bunny, Sandy and I all just kind of stopped going near the children unless we had to. But Jack? He loved being around them, even if they couldn’t see him.” Tooth said.

“A glutton for punishment, it sounds like.” Kozmotis replied.

Tooth and he continued to wander around and he was amazed by how big it all was. Something nagged to him though, this all seemed eerily familiar.

“I can’t help, but feel like I was here before.” he said and she winced.

“Well, you were. As Pitch.” she stated.

“Really? Why?” Kozmotis asked.

He couldn’t imagine why his darker other half would have come to such a bright place. Tooth looked around, her eyes sad.

“You came to steal the teeth and my fairies. You wanted to stop my followers from believing in me. When children woke up the next morning and their teeth were still under their pillows, they stopped believing.” Tooth explained.

God, he could even see the plan in his head. When she put it that way, it was so simple. He looked around and felt a shiver go through him.

“How...how did you all stop me?” Kozmotis asked.

“It was Jack. Jack found the one follower who still believed. He used his power to help other children and together, we stopped Pitch. If it wasn't for him…” Tooth trailed off.

“I see. Tooth… what is the plan if Jack does become the new Pitch Black?” Kozmotis asked.

His mind was racing. There were so many variables that they still didn’t have pre-cautions for yet. Tooth stopped and stared at her clenched hands.

“I… don’t know. I’ve tried to ask North, but he believes Sandy will fix Jack.” Tooth sighed.

“Toothiana, I do not mean to be rude, but you’ve seen it. Jack is changing and Sandy is not working fast enough. We need to be prepared.” Kozmotis pushed.

Tooth sniffled and wiped her eyes.

“I know, but I’m just so worried about him. I don’t want to see him hurt.” Tooth cried.

She covered her face with her hands and he sighed as he rubbed her back. Staring up at the moon, he wondered what would happen next.

Jack jerked awake and cursed loudly. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the horrifying images out of his head. So much for a good night's sleep. He sat up, staring out the window at the icy world beyond. The longer he looked, the worse he felt. He longed to be out there, playing in the snow and enjoying his season. Instead, he was trapped inside.

_ “Like some sort of lab rat.” _ he thought with a sneer.

When had his thoughts turned so bitter? Why did he feel so angry inside? When had all the joy in his heart turned to anger? He scrubbed his hand across his face, feeling weak and tired. He looked at his arm, where Sandy had injected the first shot of golden sand. As far as Jack could find, it hadn’t done anything. He squeezed his hand a few times and when he opened it, he was shocked to find a ball of black sand forming in his hand.

“What?” he dropped it as he darted away from it.

It landed on the ground and melted into the floorboards. Jack yelped and knelt down, trying to find where it went. He couldn’t even see it anymore.

“Oh, this is bad.” Jack whimpered.

The sand was coming from his fingertips, swirling around his hands and wrists. He tried to fling it off, but it was no good. He sat on the floor, feeling hopeless and helpless. God, was it already too late for him? Should he just give up?

** _“Yesss.” _ ** something hissed in his ear.

He jerked back, looking around wildly as he tried to figure out where it came from. He watched as his shadow on the wall began to morph and twist until it looked more like Pitch than it did him.

“Pitch.” he whispered.

Two golden dots appeared on the shadows face with a twisted smile.

** _“Oh no, child. I’m not Pitch. I am so much greater than Pitch ever was.”_ ** the creature cooed.

It moved off the wall, coming to wrap around Jack like a boa constrictor. Jack tried to get away, but it seemed to have no end.

“No! Leave me alone!” Jack yelped.

He prayed someone would hear him yelling, but he was cut off. Jack quickly found his mouth covered, unable to speak. He struggled, but it was faint. The creature laughed.

** _“Yes, yes, struggle all you want. That’s fine.”_ ** it laughed.

Jack squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to give into the terror in his soul.

** _“Jack, you can’t hide from me. Not anymore. It’s over for you, you might as well give in.”_ ** it continued.

Jack shook his head furiously and it laughed at him.

** _“Jack, you don’t get it, do you? It’s too late for you. You can’t stop this, no one can save you. You might as well give in.”_ ** it whispered.

God, when it put that way, it all did sound so hopeless. What was he trying to do? Who was he trying to stop? Jack shuddered as a tear rolled down his face.

** _“Poor Jack, all alone. Always alone. Even among the Guardians, you’re a freak.”_ ** the shadow cackled.

It was right, wasn’t it? What was he even doing here?

** _“You are putting everyone in danger just by being here. You are a plague on their lives.”_ ** it continued.

Jack wished he was deaf, but he had a feeling it would just find another way to get into his head.

** _“Just give in, Jack and I can make it all go away.”_ ** it finished.

Jack swallowed hard as the last of his will crumbled away. He nodded and the creature howled with delight. Jack screamed as it forced itself inside his body, inside his mind before everything went black.

Jack’s eyes opened, but it wasn’t Jack in control. The golden eyes pierced the darkness and he grinned. He held out his hand and Jack’s staff appeared from the shadows. With one last chuckle, Jack was gone.

“What do you mean he’s gone!” Bunnymund roared as Tooth and Kozmotis entered North’s sitting room.

“Gone? Who’s gone?” Tooth asked, her wings beating furiously.

“Jack, Jack’s gone!” Bunnymund snapped.

“I told you, I don’t know how he got out!” North replied hotly.

“How do you know?” Kozmotis asked.

“The windows in his room were boarded shut, but it doesn’t even look like he left using the windows! And his staff is gone, but it was locked in my office.” North ran a hand through his hair, angrily.

Kozmotis didn’t like this. Didn’t like this at all. He wandered over to where Sandy was crafting dreams, but he was frowning, obviously not giving it his full attention.

“What do you think?” Kozmotis asked.

Sandy bit his lip. Above his head, he made a snowflake and then a wave of sand drowning the snowflake.

“You think he’s been taken over?” Kozmotis asked.

Sandy nodded sadly as the last of his dreams disappeared. Kozmotis tapped his chin.

“Where is his room?” Kozmotis asked.

Sandy waved him along and they left the other Guardians behind. The room was dark and depressing, a lot like a cage of Kozmotis was going to be honest. He was reminded of Jack’s greatest fear and shuddered. He walked around, taking note of the frost on the inside of the window.

“Jack hasn’t been gone long. Look, the frost is still there. Melting, but still there. He couldn’t have gotten far.” Kozmotis stated.

“So what?” Bunnymund asked as the other Guardians came upon them.

“It’s simple. If Jack was transported away, it was recently. There is still a chance he is not fully under the control of whatever took him. We just need to find him.” Kozmotis explained.

Bunnymund scuffed.

“Easier said than done. We have no idea where he has even gone!” Bunnymund stated.

“But we do know.” North replied.

“We do?” Tooth asked.

“Yes, he most likely returned to Pitch’s… ah apologizes, the underground lair.” North said, nodding to Kozmotis.

“Why there?” Kozmotis asked.

“It is where he will be most powerful. We need to move, quickly! To the sled!” North yelled.

Bunnymund groaned loudly, but he was dragged along by North and had no choice. As Kozmotis followed North’s led, he felt calm. This was a battle, this was a fight. He knew what he was doing. Kozmotis was in his element.

Jack smiled as he stepped foot into the lair. The oppressive atmosphere, the cold, the dark, everything he could ever need to spread fear throughout the world. A Nightmare came up to him and he grinned as he pet her mane.

** _“Soon.”_ ** he hissed with delight.

Everything was falling into place, everything was happening as it should. Oh, he had no doubt the Guardians knew their little ice sprite was gone, but that didn’t matter. None of them could stop him. He stood before the globe, eyeing all the empty space. Soon, the whole globe would be alight with all the little children who knew and feared the Boogieman.

Another mare came up to him and whined and he hissed. So, they were already here? They were moving so much faster than he expected, but that still didn’t mean anything.

** _“Go.”_ ** he demanded.

His army scattered, ready to take on his enemies. As he turned his attention back to the globe, he sneered. With a wave, his hoodie and pants became a long poncho with a hood and black pants. Grinning with delight, he waited.

The Guardians landed in the barren forest and immediately found themselves surrounded on all sides by Nightmares.

“Crinky.” Bunnymund muttered as he pulled out his boomerangs.

“Do not be discouraged!” North yelled as he pulled his swords.

“Be calm and in control.” Kozmotis agreed, sword in hand.

Sandy snapped his whips as Tooth’s wings began to beat.

“Charge!” North yelled.

Fighting alongside the Guardians was insane. Kozmotis found himself grabbing Bunnymund’s egg bombs to use, being fling across the field by Sandy and fighting back to back with North. The army was vast, but they were entirely more skilled. Before long, most were wiped out, returned to Sandy’s gold sand once more. They stood in the middle of Jack’s pond, waiting for the next attack.

The sound of clapping made them all pause and turn. The sight of Jack, different from the way they remembered him, made them stop.

“Jack.” Kozmotis muttered.

** _“Kozmotis. How nice it is to see you again.”_ ** Jack’s hissed.

Kozmotis felt the ice in his veins. That voice, it was the same voice he remembered from the dungeons! So they were one and the same!

“Beast, release Jack!” North roared.

Jack rolled his eyes and with a jerk of his wrist, sent ice spikes their way. They dodged out of the way, but Jack kept going. He walked towards them as he fired off his attacks.

** _“I wonder how fitting this would be. For your own Guardian of Fun to destroy you all. I mean, you did abandon him for, what, four hundred years? Five? Maybe you should all accept this as revenge.” _ ** Jack hummed with delight.

“As if Jack would hold a grudge!” Tooth snapped as he flew at him.

He danced out of her way and laughed. So mocking and cold. Tooth’s wing struck the ice and there was a faint crack.

** _“Oh, dear Tooth Fairy, you have no idea what kind of grudge Jack holds against you all. I suppose you will have to find out the hard way.” _ ** Jack sneered.

He held out his hand and smirked.

** _“Wind!”_ ** he yelled.

Nothing happened. There was a pause where Jack’s cocky smile died. He threw out his hand again.

** _“WIND!”_ ** he roared.

Still nothing. Bunnymund snorted.

“Looks like the Wind isn’t interested in listening to you.” Bunnymund laughed.

Jack scowled.

** _“Fine then! Then I will bury you all under a mountain of ice and snow!” _ ** Jack snapped.

He threw up his hands and the sky started to darken. There was fear in the air and Jack soaked it up like a sponge, but when the snow started coming, it was light and fluffy. Bunnymund snorted and covered his mouth. North and Tooth both did the same while Kozmotis chuckled.

** _“What is happening! Where is my blizzard!”_ ** Jack roared.

“You don’t know Jack very well, do you? You honestly think he would give you full control of his powers?” North demanded.

Jack snarled.

** _“He gave into me!”_ ** he snapped.

“You misunderstood something.” Kozmotis said as he got to his feet.

Kozmotis lightly dusted himself off, eyes ablaze with fire. Jack stared at him, not sure what to think.

“You mistook Jack’s willingness to sacrifice himself for weakness when in reality…” Kozmotis shot forward and stabbed Jack in the stomach.

“It’s his greatest strength!” Kozmotis hissed.

The golden sand that covered his sword entered the wound and Jack howled like a banshee. He struggled to remove himself from the blade, but Kozmotis wouldn’t let him.

“For years, you tormented me. You tormented the children of this galaxy and now it is time for you to disappear!” Kozmotis declared.

The black sand struggled under Jack’s skin, but they watched as the gold sand surged forward. The demon howled and jerked, trying to escape, but Kozmotis held it. He pressed his hand to Jack’s chest and felt a warmth surge between them. He watched as the gold faded from Jack’s eyes, as the dark mass began to bubble up in his throat, as Jack returned to being in control and then, the ice under their feet fell through.

The water under the ice was incredibly cold and made Kozmotis’ head spin. For a moment, he feared he was about to freeze to death. He struggled for breath, struggled not to get dragged to the bottom. He pulled his sword from Jack’s stomach and watched as Jack began to sink to the bottom, the darkness spilling from his wound. There was fear, yes, but Kozmotis saw Jack being dragged into the darkness below and knew he couldn’t leave him. He looked to the surface and nodded.

He turned and swam as fast as he could after Jack. He grabbed the boy’s hand and started to swim to the surface. He felt the resistance of the darkness, but it wasn’t strong enough to keep ahold and he was able to pull Jack free. His lungs burned, his body ached and he was starting to feel weak. Jack’s body was like lead, dragging him down and he knew they wouldn’t make it. 

_ “No.” _ he thought angrily.

They would make it! He refused to let this be the end of them. Like a rush of adrenaline, he felt his body push past all of the pain and fear until his head hit the ice. Fuck, where was the opening they came through? He slammed his fist against the ice and it cracked. One more hit and it shattered, allowing him to burst through the ice and breath that sweet, sweet air.

“Kozmotis!” Bunnymund yelled from shore.

Sandy flew over to them and with his sand, dragged them out of the water. Kozmotis coughed and hacked as they climbed onto Sandy’s cloud, but Jack was quiet. Kozmotis leaned over the young man, saw the wound was bleeding sluggingly and cursed.

“Does anyone here know how to heal?” he asked as they landed on the shore.

Bunnymund got right to work. He stripped Jack of his shirt and with a wave of his hand, a flower bloomed.

“Thank the moon it’s warm enough.” Bunnymund muttered as he grabbed some petals and smashed them together before covering Jack’s wound with it.

“Is he going to be ok?” Kozmotis asked as North gave him his coat.

He nodded his thanks to the bigger Guardian.

“He’ll be fine. This plant helps clean and close the wound.” Bunnymund stated.

Tooth was staring out across the lake, in her hands, Jack’s staff.

“I don’t see any movement.” she stated.

Kozmotis hummed. There was a good chance the darkness was at the bottom of the lake, waiting to attack. He scowled.

“We need to stop it somehow.” Kozmotis said.

His mind was racing. What could they do to stop it from coming back? They had to seal it somehow. Jack let out a moan as Bunnymund sat him up. He looked weak, tired, but determined.

“Where is it?” Jack asked.

“Under the lake.” Kozmotis said.

“Good, give me my staff.” Jack held his hand out.

“Jack, are you sure?” North asked.

“It will never come back as far as I am concerned.” Jack said angrily.

Tooth handed him his staff and he pointed it at the lake. His eyes flashed and the ice crept across it. He growled.

“Deeper.” he demanded.

The ice changed from white to blue and seemed to thicken. Kozmotis watched and knew that the ice would freeze the entire lake. The darkness would never be released unless the lake thawed completely, which would take thousands of years. When it was done, Jack leaned back against Bunnymund and smiled.

“Eat that, you darkness asshole.” Jack mumbled.

“Sweet Tooth!” Tooth said with a gasp.

Kozmotis snickered as he shook his head.

“So Guardian of Courage, huh?” Bunnymund asked a few days later. 

Kozmotis was sitting at a window in North’s Pole and smiled.

“It seems so.” he replied pleased.

Jack flew by just then, once again as chirper as could be. He was a few weeks behind Winter wise, so he was on his way to spread snow and fun across the globe. Kozmotis waved as he went by and Bunnymund snorted.

“Thank the moon he is back on his feet. I don’t think I could take anymore of his whining.” Bunnymund stated.

“And yet, I distinctly remember someone getting mad at North for letting him have cookies before bed.” Kozmotis said sweetly.

Bunnymund grumbled under his breath before leaving. Kozmotis sat there and as he glanced at the Man in The Moon, he wondered what life would have in store for him now.

  
  



End file.
